Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-06-13
Glove Making

The headquarters OF the glovc-making
industry in Fulton County, n. Y, are
forty-five miles northwest of Albany, In
Johnstown township. The villages OF
Gloversville and Johnstown ia that town
ship contain a population ofabout 10000,
seven-eighths OF whom are glove makers.
There are upward of $50 glove manufac-
tories in the section. Glove making in
what is now Fulton County was begun
early in the present century. Upon the
passing away Of Sir William Johnson,
the famous Indian agent OF colonial
times. and Of his son. Sir John, a Jealous
Tory who fought fercely for King George
the Dutch farmers Of the neighborhOod
looked about for some better means OF
support than were offered 10 them hy the
soil, which was not fitted for husbandrY,
although there was good grazing land
upon the stony hillsides. 4 shrewd fam
ily from Connecticut are popularity cred
tied with introducing into the neighbor-
hood the manufacture Of buckskin gloves.
There was in the convenient North woods
in those days a supply Of material for
this manufacture, 30 great that nobody
would have thought 1t could ever be ex-
hausted, but the demand Of American
people for gloves proved 10 be still
greater. and the North woods deer ceased
TO be depended upon by the Fulton Coun-
" glove makers years ago. To-day the
gloves manufactured in Gioversville and
Johnston are made OF skins brought from
the most distant parts OF the globe.
The great bulk are 5uck>kins and sheep
skins, but there are many others which the
glove makers use, among them sealskin,
dogskin, East India cowhide and the
skin of the South American water-hog.
The bulk OF the buckskin comes from
Mexico and Central and South America.
The deer of the tropics II covered with a
heavier skin than covers the deer OF
these ATTITUDES, and the finest sheepskiu
from South Africa, and is that Of the
Cape hair sheep. The coarser the wool
the finer the skin, is a glove makers
saying All manner OF furs, too. 20 20
Fulton County to be used In finishing
gloves. The business Of glove max
ing in Fulton County amounts 10
about IS .OOO, 900 yearly. The wages Of
he most skillful workers, the table cut
ters, as they are called, run from $50
to $50 a month block cutters get from
$50 to $50 monthly, and machine girls
earn, according 10 their skill, So to sl2
and even sl4 week.
''Skins of which gloves are made 20
through a very exhaustive variety Of
processes. Some OF them are soaked ia
vats variously from three 10 four weeks
after which they get a scraping from the
beam, worker. They are then dried
into parchment, then soaked in water
then 'milled in oil, then put upon the
beam again and secured Of oil and nat
ural greese with alkall, being repeatedly
dried in the course OF this various treat
ment. After the alkali securing they
are put upon the breaking machine,
and are then 'hand-staked' with a blunt
tool to render them pliable Then they
90 on TO the buck TAIL. OF emery wheel. I
and from there into the identical oil aud 1
natural grease Of which they were scour- I
ed with such pains. Then they are wruug 4
out aud colored then again broke 4
staked and finished, then smoked aud 4
then turned over TO the glove makers. h
who promptly stake them again. cut 4
them either on the block Or By hand 4
('tab!e cuttingJ, silk them, sew them,
do much else 20 them, put buttons on
them, nj them on metal hands heated
by steam, sort them and pat them up Ia
pastebOard boxes in which they are sent
to market. The gloves made 10 Fulton
County are Of all sorts, and range from
a lady's kid 70 the cowboys gauntlet.
splendid with tasseis aud gold cord
Harper-s Enznr